8AM | American as Pumpkin Pie: A History of Thanksgiving
From BackStory with the American History Guys | Part of the BackStory with the American History Guys: Special Programming series
On this holiday edition of BackStory, the History Guys search for the true roots of Thanksgiving.
When we sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, we think we know what we're commemorating. After all, the story of Pilgrims and Indians breaking bread together is one of the first history lessons many of us had. But if an actual Pilgrim were to attend your Thanksgiving dinner, chances are he'd be stunned, and not a little disgusted, by what transpired there. On this holiday edition of BackStory, the History Guys search for the true roots of Thanksgiving. They discover that the holiday we celebrate today begins not with the Pilgrims, but with the Victorians, who in the midst of the Civil War sought a national holiday honoring home and family. But did Thanksgiving strengthen the Union, as its proponents had hoped? What relation do Indians have to the holiday in reality - and in myth? And what does football have to do with any of it?
Highlights include:
* Historian James McWilliams explains why the Puritans would have turned up their noses at the Thanksgiving foods we consider most traditional.
* Legendary NFL quarterback Roger Staubach describes what it was like to spend every Thanksgiving on the football field.
* Religion scholar Anne Blue Wills discusses the life of Sarah Hale, the 19th century magazine editor who waged a 30-year campaign to make Thanksgiving a holiday.
* BackStory listeners - including experts on the pardoning and the roasting of turkey - weigh in with their thoughts on the holiday.
9AM | Snap Judgment #228: Gratitude
From Snap Judgment | Part of the Snap Judgment hosted by Glynn Washington - Specials series
'Tis the season to consider those things that we are most thankful for. And so this week on Snap Judgment we're taking a look back on some of the stories we've done that touch on this theme of gratitude, because we are so thankful.
1.The Orange
Storyteller Joel ben Izzy recalls a conversation he had with an older gent who describes the true beauty of a piece of fruit.
2.Salted Egg
Thirty years after the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge, a Cambodian Family begins an unlikely search for their missing father.
3.Molly
In an amazing performance, Marc Bamuthi Joseph uses his many gifts to transport an entire live audience from San Francisco to the heart of Africa. National Poetry Slam champion, Broadway veteran, GOLDIE award winner, Marc is also an inaugural recipient of the United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship which annually recognizes 50 of the country's "greatest living artists."
4.So Embarrassed
For Jeff Greenwald, Tibet was a transcendentalist paradise. The people, the food, and the breathtaking beauty captivated him. And Tibet loved Jeff right back, granting him access to areas no Westerner had ever seen. It was almost like he fit right in. Almost.
5.The Thanksgiving Foo Mix
Stephanie Foo brings a mashup of thanks.
6.Just Like Your Father
Tracy never knew her Father. (She never knew that she wanted to...)
7.Frances Liberty
Frances Liberty was a good Catholic school girl. But that all changed when she decided to serve as a nurse in the army. She served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Grenada, and developed a sass that deeply affected many she came into contact with.
Thank you to the Veterans History Project for providing audio for this story. To hear other veterans' stories, click here. The painting you see above is a portrait of Frances Liberty by J.D. Nelson.
10AM | 2nd Annual Season Pass Egg Bowl Special
From the impossible, to the amazing, and even the eerie... The Battle for the Golden Egg never disappoints. This hour, we look at Mississippi’s grudge match: Ole Miss versus Mississippi State. This season, a post season berth is on the line for Ole Miss and the Bulldogs are looking to break a two game Reb win streak. We’ll relieve conversations with Egg Bowl heroes Wayne Madkin and Cory Peterson. It's the Egg Bowl Special Part II on MPB's Season Pass.
11AM | The Splendid Table’s “Turkey Confidential”
A live, two-hour, call-in program on Thanksgiving Day from 11am - 1pm CT
On Thursday, November 24, help is on the way for Thanksgiving cooks, kitchen helpers and dinner guests on this, the biggest cooking day of the year.
Host Lynne Rossetto Kasper comes to the rescue of Thanksgiving cooks, kitchen helpers, and dinner guests alike on the biggest cooking day of the year. This year, Lynne will field listeners' questions with the help of America's Test Kitchen co-host Bridget Lancaster, Mario Batali, Francis Lam, Melissa Clark, and A Prairie Home Companion's Chris Thile. Check your local listings or listen online at splendidtable.org.
A Thanksgiving morning tradition now in its twelfth year, past shows have included everything from a cross-country trucker cooking his Thanksgiving dinner on the manifold to a panicked first-time cook who didn't realize a turkey needs to be thawed. Lynne handles all questions with wit, expertise and laughter.
2PM | A Feast for the Ears | From WGUC
As families come together and give thanks, A Feast for the Ears helps set the atmosphere and provide deeper meaning to the Thanksgiving holiday. A two-hour program, A Feast for the Ears reflects on the rich history and traditions of this well-loved American holiday and highlights music by American composers such as Aaron Copeland, Virgil Thomson, William Billings and Charles Ives, along with some undiscovered treasures by Rick Sowash and Mark O?Connor. Host Mark Perzel presents a melodic and intriguing exploration of Thanksgiving history, lore and roots in early European harvest festivals, as well as a thoughtful examination of the holiday's evolution and contemporary traditions.
